Leslie C. Halpern Shares MyShelf Review of Jendi Reiter's Short Story Collection

 Author: Jendi Reiter

Title: An Incomplete List of My Wishes

Genre: Literary short story collection

Publisher: Sunshot Press

ISBN: 9781944977207

Purchase at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1944977201/

Reviewed by: Leslie Halpern for MyShelf.com

http://myshelf.com/literary/15/anincompletelistofmywishes.htm

Reviewed by Leslie C. Halpern originally for MyShelf.com

This collection of eleven short stories by award-winning poet and novelist Jendi Reiter focuses mostly on interpersonal relationships and overcoming grief, fear, and isolation. Several stories include gay characters struggling with their homosexuality, and adolescents contemplating how their religious backgrounds fit into their evolving self-image.

The length and style of these stories varies, but an underlying sadness permeates most of them. The language mixes pop culture, erudite allusions, and poetic expression for an interesting combination that requires careful attention. For instance, in the story "An Incomplete List of My Wishes," a divorced woman onboard an airplane reflects on her experience at a funeral, her divorce, a family member's death, and the solemn occasion to which she is headed. Most of the story consists of her reflections with no action occurring until the end. Filled with great sadness, flashes of anger, touches of humor, and ultimately, a revelation expressed as a metaphor, this story packs a memorable punch in just 10 pages.

Other stories explore family dynamics, adultery, aging, and infertility, although each selection includes multiple subtexts. For instance, in "Today You Are a Man," written in a stream of consciousness style, a gay Jewish boy fantasizes about comic book superheroes to help him deal with his tumultuous coming of age, his father's infidelity, and his shaky understanding of Judaism, marriage, and homosexuality. Usually associated with a Bar Mitzvah, the term "Today You Are a Man" means something different in this story.

Complex and lovely, this collection is the kind of book where readers will stop reading after each story and think about how the characters mirror their own lives. These are stories to be savored.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jendi Reiter is the author of the novel Two Natures (Saddle Road Press). It is a multi award-winner:

Rainbow Award winner, Book Excellence Award,  and National Indie Excellence Award finalist

See the book trailer at http://bit.ly/twonaturestrailer

"Intense revelations about what it means to be both Christian and gay...a powerful saga"  --Midwest Book Review

MORE ABOUT THIS REVIEW BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Reviewer Calls Novel about Alcoholism Riveting

Title : Intoxic

Author : Angie Gallion

Genre : General Fiction/Coming of Age

ISBN : 978-1536904055

Reviewed by Ellie Midwood -- History. Romance. War. Bestselling Author of Girl from Berlin  originally for Amazon

What a powerful story! I rarely say this about a book but this one actually emotionally gutted me; it was so dark, disturbing and almost impossible to read at times due to all the events happening to the young protagonist Ali, yet so incredibly riveting and powerful, and I couldn’t help but admire Ali’s strength.

Told from a first person POV, it tells a story of a young girl whose mother is battling alcoholism. Or, not really battling but living it, completely ignoring the crumbling effects her lifestyle has on her only daughter’s life. Utter neglect and constant emotional torture are what comes to mind while reading about a fifteen-year-old teenager who, by some twisted turn of events, happens to become the only responsible adult in this dysfunctional family. The spectrum of emotions that replace each other in Ali’s mind with yet another disappointment, another loss of job, another forgotten birthday, another new man appearing in her mother’s life who is much worse than the previous one was, is truly heartbreaking. The icing on the cake for me was this little girl thinking - on Christmas Eve - that she would have rather lived with her mother’s very first boyfriend who sexually assaulted her constantly, solely because at least she knew what to expect from him.

Yet, despite all the emotional and physical abuse, Ali’s willpower and resilience are truly worth admiration. The persistence with which she set her mind on getting out of this swamp of a life sends an incredibly powerful message to the readers, and till the very end, I rooted for Ali to get her “happily ever after” that she undoubtedly deserved. Read this book; it’s one of those stories that should be on everyone’s must-read list.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Learn more at the author's website : angiegallion

angiegallion

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Find Ellie Midwood's website. She writes history, romance and is the bestselling author of The Girl from Berlin.

Ellie Midwood -- History. Romance. War. Bestselling Author of Girl from ...

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

First Novelist Brings Us Katrina and Her Disaster-Battered Sisters in Other Parts of the Country

Title: After the Floods
Author: Bruce Henricksen
Publisher: Lost Hills Books
Genre: Novel, 212 pages, perfect bound
ISBN: 978-0-9798535-0-0

Reviewer: Susan Larson in the New Orleans Times-Picayune
Susan Larson can be reached at slarson@timespicayune.comPermission to reprint this review has been granted by Lynn Cunningham of the Times-Picayune. lcunningham@timespicayune.com

"A Whimsical Look at Poet-Katrian Exile"

In his first novel, After the Floods, former New Orleanian Bruce Henricksen tells a tale of two cities--New Orleans and Cold Beak, MN--both recovering from disastrous floods, both filled with folks trying to make a comeback. And not just people--add some crows and dogs into the mix.

The novel opens with George and Ruby surveying post-Katrina damage on Laurel Street. "Laurel is the street where Ruby's heart had been broken, broken with the branch that snapped in the storm, sending her eggs splattering to the sidewalk." The two fly north, a couple making a fresh start.

Billy Boischild is another New Orleanian who heads to Cold Beak, leaving behind a life in New Orleans in which he engaged in experiments in scientific faith implantation. He rents a trailer and starts examining his life, engaged in constant electronic spiritual debate with God and a nun called Sister Ann . . . But life in Cold Beak is wide open, as Billy finds . . .

The characters move in and out of one another's lives, looking for love and redemption, and sometimes, blessedly, finding it. Henricksen brings such fey charm to this spiritual comedy, with tender feeling for all these searchers, flying from despair toward hope, and ocassionally back again. Sometimes the reader feels she has wandered into Garrison Keillor's Minnesota, sometimes John Kennedy Toole's New Orleans. It's a short, thoroughly enjoyable flight of fancy, filled with sweet wisdom about the way we lean on--and crash into--one another.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.